Issue/Edition 3: The Ways We Will Save You

Wherein are described the Various Means by which we will Save, Redeem or Liberate you from Challenges Real or Imagined, outlined in Forms more (or less) Literal, sometimes Figurative, often Oblique and occasionally Contradictory, through which may be Inferred the Causes of Said Problems and the State of the World which has, to them, given Rise. There may be Parachutes involved.



First stop: Tokyo.

On another note, you may view the inaugural contribution to Book One here.

Which, circuitously, led to Book Magazine Book being listed on Crikey's email newsletter yesterday.

And partly as a result, partly not, there has been a spike in interest from potential contributors. There is a waiting list for the next few issues, so here is a proposition: if you receive a copy of Book Magazine Book and don't have anyone to send it on to, contact me and I'll pass on the details of one of those eager to add something themselves.

Their ranks are legion and mighty.

LAST KNOWN DESTINATION: Tokyo, Japan

Issue/Edition 2: The Lines Not Crossed

So...

Off you go then.

LAST KNOWN DESTINATION: Berlin, Germany

First Issue/Edition: STAR(t)/LE

Goes out tomorrow. I wonder what it'll look like in a year?

LAST KNOWN DESTINATION: Melbourne, Australia

Book Magazine or Magazine Book

WHAT IS IT?

SHORT VERSION
There will be 52 copies. Each week, I'll post a copy of a blank book (each book will be different) to somebody, who will contribute whatever they like to it. Writing, obviously, and drawing and painting and music and cut-outs and pasted objects and origami and coffee stains and pieces torn out and lamination and essays and plagiarism and photographs and stencils and so on, it'll all be welcome. Every edition will have its own theme, though these can be interpreted widely. It's a pretty open brief. And when its recipient has added (or subtracted) as much as they want, they'll post it on to the next person.

CIRCULATION
The book/magazine will travel wherever it wants; hopefully it should go some way around the globe, though some copies may not travel very far at all. Each recipient must be willing to post it to another once they're done, however. I hope that contributors don't hang on to their copy for more than a few days - remember, the faster it moves, the more contributors each edition will have, and the more contributors the better.
I also hope that some people post images of the book as they receive it, so we can watch them develop.

CONTENT
Contributors can add or subtract anything they like to their copy. Though there will be a theme to each edition, contributions don't need to stick to that theme at all.
For instance, upon receiving a copy, a contributor might decide to: drill a hole through the middle; paste a picture of their great-great-grandparents; write a poem in invisible ink; draw a comic strip that travels along the base of every page; paint their first memory; put the magazine in the freezer for 48 hours; write an essay explaining the mechanics of the moon; write the word "baby" in small print covering an entire page; paste small black squares over every eighth word of somebody else's contribution; number the entire book, only out of order; record a song onto CD and glue it on the cover; allow a loved pet to play with the thing; record a conversation overheard at a cafe; let a teabag slowly soak through several pages; place the book on one of the drums in a kit while they play a gig; paint several pages yellow; do nothing.

CONTRIBUTORS
Contributors can be anyone, from artists of whatever persuasion to people who've never expressed themselves creatively before. Each recipient will choose the next person to whom they'll be posting their book/magazine, and instructions will accompany each edition so that they know exactly what to do.
Those interested in contributing can also make themselves known via this site, and we'll do our best to make sure a copy passes their way during its travels.
The only requirement is that contributors are willing and able to keep the book in motion. I imagine there will be some that end up languishing on someone's coffee table beneath a pile of junk, or get put out with the recycling, or are stowed in the bag that gets left on the bus, but with 52 copies in circulation at least some should make it home.

CONCLUSION
Each book will be marked with its date of release, the day I send it out to its first recipient. Exactly a year to this day, the book should be returned to me, which will mark the moment of publication. I believe this will make the books unusual, as most books are released after they're published.

CAUSE
I'm not really sure what the outcome of the project will be, since that won't be evident until it's actually done with. But the reason I've begun with it is simply to create the conditions for others to produce something interesting. Since it requires very little effort dispersed over a vast number of people, it's lazy art that should nonetheless result in something valuable.

CONNECT
Post a comment if you'd like to get involved; I'll set up an email address in the next few days.